Safety Lessons Create Young Heroes

One girl remembered the Heimlich maneuver and saved her choking brother.

Another student recalled his lifesaving course and helped a friend who was drowning.

Many children have recognized the piercing smoke alarm sound and helped get their families to safety.

These are the stories that make Gerri Penney proud.

"You see it making a difference in people's lives," said Penney, the community education coordinator for Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue.

Penney recently was named Public Educator of the Year at the 12th annual Florida Fire and Life Safety Educators conference in Jupiter.

The statewide recognition was a welcome surprise for the 14-year Fire-Rescue veteran.

But it is the effect of daily education programs -- run west of Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and all the way to north Jupiter -- that makes the Royal Palm Beach resident's hours of work worth the effort.

"If we get the call for a fire, there's going to be a certain delay, from five to 15 minutes, before emergency crews arrive on the scene," Fire Marshal Jim Sweat said. "So having people, especially young people, know what to do really goes a long way toward saving lives and decreasing mortality."

Penney and her four-person staff trek throughout the county teaching classes to groups interested in learning more about safety.

Team members offer 28 programs 52 weeks a year. In a given day, students west of Boca Raton learn about fire hydrants, while senior citizens west of Boynton Beach go over CPR.

Last year alone, the staff had about 150,729 contact hours with residents. The classes make a difference. Beyond the more dramatic examples, residents learn about ways to prevent a crisis.

"A lot of people think of things as accidents, and that's really a misnomer," Penney said. "A lot of accidents are preventable if you change your behavior."

Penney, 47, had heard she was nominated for the award but figured she had lost out when there was no word about the result. She was surprised to hear her name at the presentation.

The award was more than deserved, given the results of the county program, according to her boss.

"We were very proud of Gerri," Sweat said. "We felt it was long overdue."